Garoppolo, Lora, Seibert Named To Fab Fifty Offensive Unit.

CHICAGO -  The best 50 student-athletes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision have been named to the College Sporting News 2013 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team. Five players won the annual awards, the head coach of the year was announced among other honors. A coach and an additional 25 players received enough votes to be earn honorable mention.

Jimmy Garoppolo, Erik Lora Collin Seibert was all named to the Fab Fifty Offensive Unit.

Garoppolo was the 2013 Walter Payton Award winner as he earned first team All-American honors this season.  Garoppolo led all quarterbacks with 5,050 yards passing and 53 touchdowns.  The passing total was second all-time on the FCS single season list while the 53 touchdowns were the third most in FCS single season history.  Garoppolo finished his career holding every EIU and Ohio Valley Conference passing record and ranked sixth on the FCS career touchdown passes list and seventh on the career passing yards list.

Lora earned first team All-American honors for the second straight year becoming the first EIU player to accomplish that feat since John Jurkovic did so in 1988 and 1989.  Lora hauled in 123 passes for 1,544 yards and 19 touchdowns.  His 123 receptions rank third on the FCS single season list and 13 shy of his FCS single season record set last season.  Lora ended his career as the EIU and OVC leader in pass receptions and receiving yards.  He owns the EIU and OVC single season records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions.  He finished his career second on the FCS receptions chart.

Seibert anchored an offensive line that helped the high powered Panther offense rank in the top three in the nation in scoring offense, passing offense and total offense the entire season.  He graded out at over 92 percent for the season and the team ranked in the top ten in fewest number of tackles for loss allowed this season.  EIU's offense finished the year averaging 589.5 yards per game which ranks as the third best single season total in FCS history.  The Panthers 48.2 points per game average ranked fifth all-time in FCS history.

Also highlighted this year were the three major awards, for top coach, offensive and defensive players for the first time named in honor of the FCS legends Coach Roy Kidd, Adrian "AP" Peterson and James "Boomer" Grigsby.

COLLEGE SPORTING NEWS 2013 "FAB FIFTY" ALL-AMERICAN TEAM

The Roy Kidd FCS Coach of the Year Award: Craig Bohl, North Dakota State
The Adrian "AP" Peterson FCS Offensive Player of the Year Award: Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois
The James "Boomer" Grigsby FCS Defensive Player of the Year Award: Brad Daly, DE, Montana State
Offensive Lineman Of The Year: Billy Turner, OT, North Dakota State
Special Teams Player Of The Year: Xavier Roberson, KR, Southeastern Louisiana
Freshmen Of The Year: Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
Playoff MVP: Brock Jensen, QB, North Dakota State

MORE "FAB FIFTY" OFFENSE

QB Michael Nebrich, Fordham
QB Vernon Adams, Eastern Washington
RB Terrance West, Towson
RB Zach Zenner, South Dakota State
RB DaMarcus James, Jacksonville State
RB Lorenzo Taliaferro, Coastal Carolina
FB Andrew Grothmann, North Dakota State
AP Jerrick McKinnon, Georgia Southern
OC Tristan Bellamy, South Carolina State
OG Dakota Dozier, Furman
OG Collin Seibert, Eastern Illinois
OT Eric Pike, Towson
OT Bryan Witzmann, South Dakota State
OL Chris Elkins, Youngstown State
OL Arinze Agada, McNeese State
TE MyCole Pruitt, Southern Illinois
TE Jeff LePak, Eastern Illinois
WR Erik Lora, Eastern Illinois
WR Lee Kurfis, Lehigh
WR Sam Ajala, Fordham
WR Jeremy Butler, UT Martin

MORE "FAB FIFTY" DEFENSE

DT Sullivan Grosz, Cal Poly
DT Caraun Reid, Princeton
DE Terrence Fede, Marist
DE Davis Tull, UT Chattanooga
DL Zach Kerr, Delaware
DL Colton Underwood, Illinois State
LB Stephon Robertson, James Madison
LB Justin Shade, Samford
LB Quinn Backus, Coastal Carolina
LB Jordan Tripp, Montana
LB Cqulin Hubert, Southeast Louisiana
LB Grant Olson, North Dakota State
CB Marcus Williams, North Dakota State
CB T.J. Lee III, Eastern Washington
DB Jerome Couplin III, William & Mary
DB Jaquiski Tartt, Samford
S Caleb Schaffitzel, Missouri State
S Daniel Fitzpatrick, Tennessee State

MORE "FAB FIFTY" SPECIAL TEAMS

K Griffin Thomas, Jacksonville State
P Kyle Loomis, Portland State
KR Adrian Wilkins, North Carolina Central
PR Torrance Williams, Sam Houston State
LS Richard Wright, Liberty

THE HONORABLE MENTION

COACH Jack Cosgrove, Maine
QB Quinn Epperly, Princeton
RB DaMarcus James, Jacksonville State
RB DJ Adams, Portland State
AP Fabian Truss, Samford
C Edmond Davis, Alabama State
OG Jamey Cheatwood, Coastal Carolina
TE Dan Light, Fordham
WR Kenny Cook, Gardner Webb
WR Lee Doss, Southern
WR R.J. Harris, New Hampshire
WR Roman Wilson, Princeton
WR Tre McBride, William & Mary
DB Jacob Hagen, Liberty
DB Lucky Dozier, Northern Arizona
DL Shaquille Riddick, Gardner-Webb
DL Zach Hodges, Harvard
DL Mike Reilly, William & Mary
DL Troy Moore, Sacred Heart
DL Zach Hodges, Harvard
LB Joe Thomas, SC State
LB Lynden Trail, Norfolk State
LB Tyler Starr, South Dakota
PR Tavoris Doss, Alcorn State
P  Eric Enderson, Delaware
KR Xavier Roberson, Southeastern Louisiana